Resources to check school performance

Ever wonder how your child’s school compares with others across the state? It’s simply a matter of knowing where to look and what to look for.

To help parents grade their local school’s performance, we’ve written this guide to navigating online resources as well as how to fairly compare the data.

Where to find the data

The Department of Public Instruction’s data website, WISE-dash, gives the public a chance to review information about Wisconsin schools and districts. Available information includes state assessments, student attendance and dropouts, enrollment, graduation rates, post-graduation, school discipline, school finance, and

the state’s report card.

Begin your data searches at www.wisedash.dpi.wi.gov. Keep in mind when using WISEdash that not all available statistics are for the most recent school year.

For instance, the most current suspension and expulsion data on WISEdash is from 2015-16. If there appears to be no data set, try a different school year.

Be cautious when making comparisons — people should consider the size of the schools or districts, and whether it is rural, suburban or urban, said Becky Walker, Howard-Suamico School District assistant superintendent of academics and innovation.

Also, look at the data over several years to see whether there are trends, Walker said. If a school or district seems to be scoring low in an area, check to see whether there is an improvement plan in place.

She encourages people to use the filters on the website to see how different groups of students perform.

Stacking up

The DPI tracks several standardized tests, including the Forward exam and ACT under the WSAS tab (Wisconsin Student Assessment System) and the “other assessments” tab on WISEdash.

When comparing test scores, be aware that during the 2015-16 school year the state switched to using the Forward exam to test in English Language Arts, math, science and social studies. Data for previous proficiency exams can be found under the WSAS tab.

Available comparisons for each test vary. To do a side-by-side comparison of how all Green Bay School District third-grade students are performing on the ELA portion of the Forward exam compared to thirdgrade students across the state, click on the WSAS tab and choose the Forward exam and pick side-by-side comparison. For the left graph, pick the Green Bay School District, elementary for grade group and ELA as the Forward Subject. For the right graph, put elementary for the grade group and third for the tested at grade.

Rated by the state

A link to state report cards can be found toward the bottom of the WISEdash homepage under “state and national reports.” The state report card offers an overview of whether a school or district is on track for student achievement.

The report cards track student achievement in ELA and math; district growth in ELA and math; closing gaps in ELA, mathematics and graduation rates; and on-track and postsecondary readiness. The last category takes into consideration graduation and attendance rates, third-grade ELA achievement and eighthgrade mathematics achievement.

The cards also show enrollment, a breakdown of student race and ethnicity, and different groups of students attending the school or district.

Discipline

To find out what discipline looks like in a school district, click on other topics and go to discipline. Choose a type of disciplinary record to review.

The user will generate a Wisconsin School District Performance Report. Next, choose a school district from the menu, the school year and click “apply.”

The system gives the option of comparing the school or district to athletic conference, top 10 enrollments or district schools. The results can be broken down further by using filters for all students, grade level, gender, race and ethnicity, and disability status.

The report also shows retention for ACT and AP; attendance, dropouts and truancy, high school completion and post-graduation plans; programs and participation; and staffing and finance.

Graduation

Similar to comparing schools and districts for standardized tests, side-by-side comparisons can be done for graduation rates. WISEdash users can create a graph that can compare graduation rates for up to five school districts.

In the end, data should not be the only deciding factor when considering a school or district.

“It’s a piece of information, but I wouldn’t let that be the only bit of information that I would look at,” Walker said.